Interpol Chief's Identity Spoofed On Facebook

An anonymous reader writes "Ronald Noble, Interpol's Secretary General, has revealed that cybercriminals have opened two fake Facebook accounts using his name and used them to gather sensitive information. 'One of the impersonators was using this profile to obtain information on fugitives targeted during our recent Operation Infra Red,' Noble said. 'This Operation was bringing investigators from 29 member countries at the Interpol General Secretariat to exchange information on international fugitives and lead to more than 130 arrests in 32 countries.'"

I don't get it

[something_wicked_thi]

How does spoofing his identity on Facebook help? Was someone dumb enough to send confidential information regarding a criminal investigation to one of these spoof users via Facebook? Please tell me that's not the case. But the article is short on details and I can't think of any other way such a spoof would cause any kind of leak.

Re:I don't get it

[Nursie]

My thoughts exactly.

If this scam actually netted them any info then whoever provided it needs to be hung out to dry. This is ridiculous in the extreme.

Re:I don't get it

[Thanshin]

Was someone dumb enough to...

The answer to that question, however you end it, is most often "Yes".

Hmmm

[object404]

Y'know, one thing to come of this is that it's probably a good idea to create accounts in social media/networking sites even if you'll never use them just to "reserve" your identity and to deter impersonators a bit, kinda like reserving domain names before cybersquatters bag them. Use a separate "throwaway" email account for them.

That way, if someone creates a fake account in your name, if people see that there's more than one account which has your name, it will give them cause to suspect that one of them is fake, making them more wary against fake accounts.

Re:Hmmm

[Psaakyrn]

Too bad names aren't exactly the unique thing they are, not is it possible to determine what future site/media will be the next big thing, nor are all social media/networking sites free.

Re:I don't get it

[captainpanic]

(from TFA)

"Our world is increasingly connected and networked and therefore also increasingly vulnerable to disruptions caused by intrusions and cyber attacks," he said. "Cybercrime is emerging as a very concrete threat. Considering the anonymity of cyberspace, it may in fact be one of the most dangerous criminal threats ever."

I have nothing to hide, but apparently I have a lot to worry about.

If Interpol’s Secretary General actually worries about the vulnerability, then perhaps it's not such a brilliant idea to store a lot of personal information on a bunch of servers???
To me, this is the best argument for privacy at the moment: I am not so much worried that Interpol will turn evil. But I am worried that they cannot guarantee that all our personal data is safe on their servers.

Re:Hmmm

[object404]

Well, better than having a sole impostor owning your name, no?

Re:Hmmm

[apoc.famine]

Quite possibly not. If I'm only lightly active on Facebook, and someone mentions something about it, I may not realize that they've been communicating with an impostor. If I don't use Facebook at all, and someone mentions friending me on it, I can tell them right away that that's an impostor.

Someone isn't likely to dig me up without having a mutual friend on Facebook. If they see their friend friend me, and they know I'm not on facebook, or have never seen me there before, they're more likely to figure out it's a scam.

I think limiting your presence (this is crime/intelligence stuff we're talking about here, after all...) to official channels only, and letting everyone know that is probably the safest way. Of course, human nature being what it is...